This invention relates to golfing aids or accessories and, more particularly, to a golfing device for use in practicing a golf swing for audibly indicating improper head movement during such a swing.
Proper contact with a golf ball when swinging a golf club requires substantial immobility of the golfer's head. Improper head movement will cause the golfer to lift his shoulders and arms, or otherwise prematurely or improperly move portions of his body, preventing the club face from striking the ball squarely. Many golfers, and especially those who play infrequently, must repeatedly practice their golf swing while concentrating on maintaining head immobility. Since the golfer must coordinate other body movements while maintaining head immobility, it becomes difficult for all but highly experienced golfers to determine when his or her head is or is not maintained substantially motionless.
Numerous devices have been devised in the past to indicate to a golfer when his head is moved improperly during a golf swing. Typically, such prior structures have includes a ball within a tube or other container which is somehow attached to the golfer's head. Contact members are positioned at the ends of the tube or container such that if the head is moved, the ball strikes the contact members producing an audible signal. A critical drawback of these prior structures is that they do not signal the golfer if his head is moved in other than a predetermined direction. Thus, if the tube or container is positioned substantially horizontally, lateral but not vertical head movements are indicated. Conversely, a vertically or angularly positioned tube would indicate vertical or angular movement but not movement in other directions.
Other indicators have included one or more mercury switches which may be secured at various parts of the golfer's body, such as on either shoulder and/or the back of the head, to close electrical circuitry and operate a buzzer providing an audible sound upon improper head movement. These mercury switch devices are extremely complicated and expensive to manufacture and use. More importantly, the mercury switch devices and the rolling ball-container type devices are difficult to properly position so that different golfers' stances may be properly accomodated.
Also, certain prior structures have included visible wires adapted to protrude into the golfer's line of sight to the ball such that he will maintain his head in a position to continue to view the device and the wire throughout the golfer swing. These vision-type devices are difficult for a golfer to use because the required attention on the visible object detracts from his ability to coordinate movements of other portions of his body to produce an accurate swing.
In addition, many of the above-mentioned structures have been difficult or awkward to secure to the golfer's head or have required involved structure to do so.